Defense - China: US warship enters Chinese waters
China has complained about the "illegal" intrusion of a US warship into areas claimed by the People's Republic in the South China Sea.
The "USS Gabrielle Giffords" had approached Ren'ai Reef, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, without permission, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army said. The US had thus violated China's security and sovereignty and disrupted stability in the region. The US Navy did not initially respond to a request for comment.
There has been a dispute between Beijing and the Philippine government for decades over the area of widely scattered reefs and islands west of the Philippines and far south of China. The countries' patrolling coast guards regularly conduct dangerous maneuvers there.
The armed forces of the USA, an ally of the Philippines, and China also accuse each other of dangerous behavior in the region. An old warship from the Second World War on one of the reefs, which the Philippines ran aground there in 1997 as an outpost to secure its sovereignty, is a recurring theme. The Philippines accuse China of obstructing supplies for the "Sierra Madre", which is in need of repair.
Beijing regularly criticizes the passage of US warships through the strait between Taiwan and China or in the South China Sea. Following the meeting between US President Joe Biden and China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in mid-November, there was hope for a rapprochement between the two superpowers. On Friday, the spokesman for China's Ministry of Defense said that he would talk to the US military again about establishing an exchange that had been dormant for some time.
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- The incident escalated tensions between China and the USA, two global powers with significant naval capabilities in the region.
- The Philippine government, a US ally, has also been involved in disputes over the contested waters with China, specifically regarding the "Sierra Madre" ship.
- In response to the US warship's entry into Chinese waters near Peking (Beijing), China's military warned the US-Navy to avoid further provocation.
- The Chinese spokesperson suggested resuming diplomatic talks with the US military to prevent such incidents in the future, highlighting the importance of maintaining peace and stability in these strategic waters.
- The American-owned "USS Gabrielle Giffords" was not the first US warship to navigate near disputed Chinese territories in the South China Sea, sparking concerns from regional countries, including the Philippines.
Source: www.stern.de
